Not My Christmas Story

My youngest son, Enoch, is three years old, and he owns everything.

We went to the beach and he said, “my water.”

He listens to Music and he says, “my Taylor Swift”

He sees a truck on the road and he says, “my truck”

His appropriation of everything goes a step further when he takes over for a person or character he sees.

Read more »

You, Pretend

Sometimes I sing to my sons when we put them to sleep. If they are upset or restless I’ll try to soothe them with a children's church song. Over the years, Isaiah has picked up “Jesus Loves Me” and a few other songs and sometimes asks for me to sing them. I think it’s good for his developing theology to know of these types of arguably trite, but true lyrics.

The Story

A few months ago, we were still in the Midwest and my office was still connected with our kitchen. Having one’s office in the same space as one’s home was a blessing and a curse. As any Student Affairs professional will attest, the layout makes boundaries difficult. On this particular day, I had stepped into my office to accomplish minor task. I don’t remember what it was and it may not have even been directly work-related. More than likely I was responding to a short email or checking Facebook. Maybe I had remembered an interesting or clever observation I’d made earlier that day and I was taking a moment to post it on Facebook so all my friends could tell me I was funny. To set the stage here, the bottom line is:

I was busy, but I wasn’t doing anything important.

…In walks Isaiah.

Read more »

Parenting And Theology

Parenting

Correcting behavior is an ongoing aspect of parenting. I want my children to be safe and well behaved, able to function in civil society. This involves frequent restrictions and verbal reminders of certain important guidelines.

“Don’t touch the stove”

“Stop hitting your brother”

“Don’t run into the street”

I want my sons to know that I always love them, even when I am disciplining or correcting them. Not long after we first brought Isaiah home I changed how I worded my corrections. I wanted to make sure Isaiah knew that I loved him first, so I said that first followed by the correction.

“Isaiah, I love you, but listen to your mama.”

“Isaiah, I love you, but it’s time for bed.”

“Isaiah, I love you, but eat your dinner.”

Read more »